ASHAWAY -- Chariho Regional High School senior Donald Joslin said he plans to take a year off after graduation before going to the Community College of Rhode Island to study electronics. But he's not using the time for leisure. Instead, Joslin said he intends to stay home as part of a post-operative treatment for aplastic anemia, a rare disorder in which a person's bone marrow fails to produce enough red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

Joslin needs a bone marrow transplant - and as soon as possible - his doctors have told him. To help, the National Marrow Donor Program is sponsoring a bone marrow test drive Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Crandall House in Ashaway. Donors will be tested by a cheek swab, and must be between 18 and 60 years old. The matching donor will most likely be of similar heritage as Joslin -- Irish, Dutch and northern European - although National Marrow encourages all to be tested for compatibility.

The survival rate of bone marrow transplant recipients is 85 to 90 percent, Joslin said. Joslin said doctors are most concerned with his platelets count, which he added is "ridiculously low compared to other people." Each week doctors analyze Joslin's blood because of the risk that his condition could turn into leukemia.

Initially, Joslin said doctors at Hasbro Children's Hospital told him that he could wait until after graduation to get a transplant. But after consulting with experts at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston - where he must go for the treatment - he found out that he shouldn't wait. Doctors say it is important to have the transplant before the summer because, by that time he could be too weak, Joslin said.

He added that doctors are searching for a compatible donor in the national registry, although he has not been notified of a match yet. "But if it's (someone) local, then it would give the feeling of community - people coming together to help other people," he said. Joslin said his brother Brandon -- a high school freshman -- was tested, along with his parents, but they were not compatible. 

He added that doctors check six DNA markers on bone marrow. A family member with five matches would be acceptable - but non-family members should match all six to avoid post-transplant complications.

If Joslin receives a bone marrow transplant, he will have to undergo radiation treatment first in order to "wipe out his immune system," said Melissa Donahue, Joslin's mother. Donahue added that after her son's stay at the hospital, it is vital for him to remain in his house for several months.  She said his childhood immunizations would be gone, so he needs to reduce the risk of exposing himself to illnesses. "He's got to get that immune system back up so he can fight anything off," she said.

But right now, Joslin said, "I feel pretty good...even though I get tired really easy compared to other people." Joslin said he found out he had the disorder earlier this year, when he was training to join the school's baseball team. He said his heart was racing during workouts, but he thought he was just out of shape - until he told his mother and she brought him to the doctor.

"He was tired a lot, looked pale to me," Donahue said. She said nothing was detected during his physical exam - but after the blood work was analyzed that night, he was ordered to undergo a blood transfusion at Hasbro.

Joslin said he used to receive weekly blood transfusions, but he hasn't had one since March. Plus, he said having several blood transfusions would do more harm because it could cause the body to create too many antibodies.

Doctors have also treated him with immunosuppressant medication for six months, Joslin said. According to National Marrow information, the therapy seeks to weaken the immune system, which is believed to attack bone marrow. However, Joslin said he didn't react well to the suppressant medication and steroids that were part of the treatment. "It felt like I was on fire - like my insides," Joslin said. "But I took my temperature and I was fine." He added that he stopped taking the steroids for the last two months of the treatment because he didn't like side effects such as weight gain.

Joslin belongs to the Ashaway Volunteer Fire Association, although he is not an active junior firefighter because of his condition. Earlier this year, fellow firefighters held a pasta dinner at the fire station and Main Street Pizza in Ashaway hosted an event to benefit him.

Joslin is enrolled in the electronics program through the Career and Technical Center at the Chariho campus in Richmond. He added he has already completed his senior computer electronics project, which was to create an arcade system for Super Nintendo games.

Joslin said he hopes to attend CCRI for its network administration and security program after his treatment is complete - and maybe even study computer engineering at the University of Rhode Island.

A master of the first two editions of Guitar Hero - a game where the player uses a guitar controller to play rock songs - Joslin is on his way to conquering the third version of the game.  Joslin's musical talents extend past the television screen - he is also an avid bass player.  Earlier this year he was given an Ernie Ball bass and amplifier through Wish Come True, Inc., non-profit organization that grants wishes to children in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts who have a life-threatening illness.

While Joslin appears to recognize the seriousness of his needed-treatment, his outlook is positive. For now, he says, "I try to do as much as I can."

vgoff@thewesterlysun.com